Knowing - Nicolas Cage, and some terrible child actor

25 Mar 2009

I saw the movie “Knowing” today, and I’m sorry that I did. It was the worst movie I’ve seen in a long time.

The basic principle seems pretty intriguing. The idea is that a list of numbers from a time capsule that was buried 50 years ago has somehow predicted every major disaster since the time it was written. And there are 3 more to go, until the numbers run out. Nicolas Cage is first narrowly missed by a plane crash, which really doesn’t faze him at all. Why? Terrible directing. He then saves a baby and it’s mother by jumping on top of them, right as two subways collide in a busy station. I’ll admit, those two scenes were amazingly cool. But it went downhill from there. There was some sort of surreal, alien-ish aspect of the whole thing, that seemed to be the writer’s at a loss for a way out of the situation. Here, I have an idea: have a few people die. It’s already a scary movie, it doesn’t have to end with children frolicking in a field of poorly-animated wheat. I’m not kidding there, that’s actually the ending.

Aliens are a writer’s ace-up-the-sleeve. But that’s cheating. Seriously, it ruins the film. For more proof, check the last Indiana Jones film, and this one. I’m sorry, but the children flying away in a glowing space ship is not a good ending. Were the aliens ever mentioned beforehand? Yep. They’re called the “Whisper People.” The moment the little girl said that name, I totally cracked up. I’m sorry, but the movie jumped the shark right there.

The acting was terrible. I am usually fine with Nicolas Cage, but he was directed really poorly in this film. He never did anything. And his character didn’t develop in the slightest. And the two children were absolutely awful. I’m going to steal from my brother’s commentary here…the little kid will do really well in the bio-pic for Keanu Reeves. No feeling, no talent. Cool!

Don’t see this movie. You’ll never get those 2 hours back. Seriously, don’t lose the time. I recommend Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, and recently, Duplicity.